OT - Cubs in 1st? WTF? What's the date?

We've been pretty good about keeping this blog firmly on topic. Yes, we did indulge ourselves with a minor diversion off topic last year during the Chicago Bears march to the Superbowl here, here and here. Ok, maybe it was not so minor when we went completely over the top in January here, here and here. At least I made an attempt to insinuate some vague political links in the first and last of that group of posts. This is an early warning to our readers that it just may be happening again. Yesterday, the Cubs beat the Phillies to tie for first place. Yes, yes I know. The Titanic was still floating since the last time the Cubs won the World Series. Haley's comet has visited twice since the last time the Cubs won the World Series. It is entirely possible that there is no one on the planet left alive who ever sat in a ball park and watched the Cubs win a World Series. But...

It is August. The Cubs are tied for first. This is very unusual. Normally Cubs take advantage of their fans natural spring optimism, make an early run, get everyone's hopes up, and just when the last bit of skepticism is swept away around the all star break, the Cubs collapse back into mediocrity. The Cubs new manager Lou Pinella has apparently not read the script. This year the Cubs looked terrible in the beginning of the season, and started really playing ball around the All-Star break. It is August. The Cubs are tied for first. I'm beginning to feel it.

My brother won great tickets (right behind home plate) in a benefit auction for his kids school, and he and his family are at the game and live blogging right now. Check it out. Now I tend to be cautious about getting on the Cubs bandwagon, having had my hopes crushed into dust by the Cubs - well - every year of my entire life. And I was there in the right field bleachers in August 1969 to witness first hand the greatest collapse of any team in any sport on any planet in the history of the universe. That said, let me just cautiously say it is now clear to me that this is the game that will put the Cubs in sole possession of first place, which they will not relinquish until they win the pennant and go on to win the World Series. [1-1 after 1]

UPDATE: Nevermind.

Divided and Balanced.™ Now that is fair.

Technorati tags: insanity, Wrigley Field, Chicago Cubs, Cubbies, blogging.